Preview - Noah And The Whale @ The Sage, Gateshead 10/03/09

The Sage - an ‘international home for music and musical discovery’. This fantastic venue is entirely dedicated to music of all varieties; jazz, country, and even classical. So having a recently popular indie band such as Noah And The Whale to play is quite a statement. It shows that this band can’t be just like any other outfit, dishing out pop song after pop song, there is a lot more to them, i.e. genuine musical talent. Noah And The Whale have a definite feel to their music, when listening to their album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down I realised it has a lot of depth and sentiment to it. With carefully constructed lyrics and violin-clad harmonies it’s folksy and jolly in some parts, and dark and acoustic in others, broken up by the odd irresistible country-esque indie track. It takes a few listens to really appreciate it, but once you get to know and love the charming melodies, seeing this band live must be an absolute treat, a sing-a-long for want of a better phrase. With such an array of tracks this gig promises to deliver a varied and blossoming performance, and well if they’re playing at The Sage then they must be good, ukuleles and all.

Preview by Marzena Dabrowska 

The Pigeon Detectives, The Virgins, Red Light Company @ Newcastle Carling Academy 27/11/08

With a line-up like this - it’s no wonder I trotted down early to the Academy, my aim – to soak up as much of this evening as possible. On meeting my fellow Yorkshire-man-friend this was bound to be a night of beer-guzzling, Pigeon-chanting and general obnoxiousness, and I wasn’t to be disappointed.
Red Light Company opened the night with their brand of chilled-out tunes, sloshing about somewhere between Death Cab and The Manics. Easy on the ear though obviously easier to appreciate if you know the songs – checking out their MySpace should definitely be on your to-do list.
I was particularly excited to see The Virgins, as I had been recommended them by a friend. Supporting The Pigeons for the majority of this tour, there seems to have been a lot of hype around this band, so I was eager to see them in the flesh. As the lead singer shimmied and stomped on stage to what can only be described as ‘funky’ music, the crowd seemed won over. There’s something about this band that I can’t quite put my finger on, maybe it’s the slap bass that seems to underlie most of their songs, or maybe it’s their irresistible melodies and lyrics that mean that I now just can’t seem to stop listening to them.
As expected, the crowd began to get more of a buzz about them, rowdy in anticipation for a rowdy band. The excitement peaks when those five leather-clad lads appear and jump straight into their usual set-starter ‘Romantic Type’. Now safe to say I have seen this band a fair few times, and after seeing such a large variety of their gigs – different venues, from tiny crowds to massive Leeds Fest-type crowds, they still never disappoint me; I find my feet dancing before I even told them to. With lead singer Matt spraying out water from his mouth and swinging his microphone around higher than ever – you know what you’re getting with a Pigeons gig. Old tracks excite the masses as do newer ones such as ‘This Is An Emergency’. However whereas the first album’s tracks impress, the second ones’ don’t so much – as the gig goes on they play lesser known songs that don’t really stand out and aren’t all that necessary. But let’s face it – how can they go wrong with an ‘I’m Not Sorry’ encore?

Review by Marzena Dabrowska

McFly, Reemer, Avenue @ Metro Radio Arena 08/11/08

This evening the arena is crammed with all the expected bunny-eared, tutu-clad teeny-boppers, the younger McFly fans with their mummies, plus a surprising number of 20-something males getting w**kered at the bar...
First up is Avenue. Think no instruments, think backing tracks, think dance routines, think Five meets some Xfactor reject, think oh dear...
Delivering more the sort of thing I was expecting, Reemer are probably the perfect McFly support band – cheesy, poppy, good-looking, charismatic, and nowhere near exciting enough to upstage the main boys. They certainly have the cringe factor - the lead singer’s enthusiasm almost bordering on scary as he lies across the stage, thighs-galore, singing meaningfully into the camera and making the girlies swoon. As for their music, they will obviously appeal to a younger crowd such as this, with barely-memorable choruses and monotonous lyrics such as ‘I could wrap you up in circles...if you like’ repeated over and over. It all sounds about ten years too late, and even ten years ago it would be nothing new. It’s a shame; they seem like lovely boys, but lovely boys don’t make rock stars.
You can always count on Tom, Danny, Dougie and Harry. No matter how much someone may criticise these boys, they never fail to deliver, and you can fall in love with each one individually as the show progresses. As the opening music builds up for their grand entrance onstage I couldn’t help but feel 16 again, let’s face it - when I loved them the first time around. They can sing, they can write good songs, and they can fly. Yes, McFly can fly. After balls of fire, fireworks, confetti and allsorts...a platform lowers and the boys clamber onto it as it travels over the crowd and plonks itself down right in the middle of the arena; a pretty amazing sight. I must say I prefer McFly’s older stuff, I seem to have lost interest recently, maybe that’s because I’m older and my music taste has changed (improved?) or maybe their songs aren’t as impressive and exciting as they once were? Whatever the answer, it was a damn enjoyable show.

Review by Marzena Dabrowska

The Chevrolites @ The Cluny 04/10/08

Having previously seen local lads The Chevrolites play in Edinburgh simply by chance... I was eager to check them out in their hometown. So I scampered on down to The Cluny where the boys scuttled onto the stage. Getting straight down to business with Came Here To Fight I felt my toes tapping and the alcohol flowing. Think Milburn, think Arctic Monkeys, these influences are pretty obvious; catchy riffs and edgy lyrics aplenty, particularly in Malia. A good-time band, look into these kids if you’re one for dancing. A few gigs’ time and a larger variety of songs could see The Chevrolites stand out from the rest. Quite possibly the funniest gig I’ve ever been to, you know those gigs every so often where someone takes things a bit too far, this was one of those times. If not for the music go for the girl jumping onstage and the man rolling around on the floor whilst the rest of the crowd are bowled over with laughter. If a band can inspire fans such as these well they must be worth making a fuss over.

Review by Marzena Dabrowska

Mystery Jets @ The Cluny 19/04/08

If someone says ‘Mystery Jets’ I say “Arrrggggghhhhhghghgh!!!!!” - this is a good reaction, by the way. I can safely say I had been looking forward to this gig for exactly a million years. One of my favourite bands in one of my favourite venues: YUM. And yummy it was, this mouth-watering evening started off with a nibbler from local lady Beth Jeans Houghton, think Regina Spektor with a dash of Laura Marling - delish. Dished up next were Little Comets, without expecting too much, these boys did more than pleasantly surprise; they blew my frickin’ socks off. Filled to the brim with scrummy, poppy, chantey, dance-y goodness; I wanted to order seconds.After appetisers like these I was greedy for more, Mystery Jets were my main course and desert rolled into one neat, tasty set. From the sweet depths of their older tracks such as ‘Diamonds in the Dark’, to the juicy highlights of upcoming single ‘Two Doors Down’ they delighted and charmed the 350 capacity room. Having heard that previously the band invited a crowd member onstage to sing Laura Marling’s part in ‘Young Love’, I was slightly disappointed when Blaine sang the part himself and I was unable to display my amazing vocal talent! (Cough cough). As with most over 18 gigs the crowd were slightly reluctant to ‘jam out’, but with a ‘Zoo Time’ encore even the coolest of cucumbers couldn’t resist to burn a few musical calories.

Review by Marzena Dabrowska (photos by Solveig Werner)

Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong @ Carling Academy 03 / 02 / 08 NME Tour

The third band in and Joe Lean and the JJJs waddle on to the stage for all these NME lovers. Will the band live up to the hype? Sort of. In a massive venue like this it’s hard to tell with echoes a plenty and the vast crowd chattering throughout. Lead singer Joe Lean prances and poses his way through, muttering into his microphone. But it sounds promising, though I reckon you’ve got to know the songs to appreciate the indie-goodness.

Review by Marzena Dabrowska